Durham, NC - In the week following Sheriff Clarence Birkhead’s directive ending the Sheriff’s Office policy of honoring Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainers, 11 individuals have left the Durham County Detention Center under the standard timetable for release.
A detainer or “immigration hold” is a tool used by ICE to apprehend aliens who come in contact with local and state law enforcement agencies and put them into the federal deportation system. The detainers request that a local jail or other law enforcement agency detain an individual for an additional 48 hours (excluding weekends and holidays) after his or her release date in order to provide ICE agents time to take them into custody.
The Sheriff’s directive went into effect on Thursday, December 6. It advises staff that absent of a court order or arrest warrant signed by a judicial official, any person who has had their criminal charges disposed of or who has made bond will not be held beyond the normal timetable for release. Under the new policy, nine individuals were released after posting bond and two after serving their sentence.